Final answer:
A drug patent usually lasts for 20 years. If Congress reduced the period of patent protection, it would likely impact private research and development.
Step-by-step explanation:
A drug patent usually lasts for 20 years. This allows the inventor to have exclusive rights to manufacture, use, or sell the drug during that time period. After the patent expires, other companies can produce generic versions of the drug.
If Congress reduced the period of patent protection from 20 years to 10 years, it will likely have an impact on the amount of private research and development. With a shorter patent period, inventors may be less incentivized to invest in research and development as their window of exclusive rights and potential profit would be reduced.